After a long absence, I find myself with more time to catch up with the goings on, here at the Zone. It seems like a new restlessness has emerged. It's more hostile than before. Nigel stated that we all need to (to paraphrase)
"stand by our posts", and I think that's good advice.

If I had not been so hasty a year ago, and just sat back to think about my words and actions .... I'd be about $20,000 richer this year. My impetuous actions caused great unrest, family tension and many, many uncomfortable situations that are constant reminders of my foolishness.

With THAT said, there are also many good things that came from my idiot marriage last March. I'm back with Donna, and that is an unexpected blessing of ENORMOUS proportion, just ask Fran ! ( apparently, her 2nd biggest fan ! )

We can all benefit from a little restraint, especially here in a medium that is void of emotion. Little smiley faces cannot replace a vocal inflection, a smile or some positive body language.

I applaud Nigel for consistently running this haven with dignity and grace, and never once infringing on anyone's right to speak their mind. Take a bow, my friend, and keep up the GREAT work.

Now, excuse me, for I must cut this post - paste it into a spell checker, re-read it, and then I'll come back and set it here in concrete!

(Good thing I did, there were NINE errors in this post ! !)

Dave, how about calling yourself "W.O.S. Dave,(wise old sage)" in the future? Your observations about the one dimentional aspects of this kind of interpersonal communication are "dead on".

Hang in there, champ..I'm glad you're back!


Russ

Uncle Dave makes comeback

T.G.I.U.D.

Mentioning a woman's name, and the word "enormous" in the same sentence?

No spellchecker can correct that, especially if she reads it the wrong way.

Welcome back Uncle Dave.

Well said, Dave. We all make mistakes... the challange is to learn from them. Welcome back and good luck with your new encounters.

Glenn

It is great to see you back here where seldom is heard a disparaging word...(hold on. gotta spellcheck that one --- whew, got it right the first time.)

I'm sure everyone here wishes you and Donna great success...me to.

Eddie

Geesh...still had to edit. I should have said "discouraging" instead of deparaging.

[This message has been edited by btweengigs (edited 08-30-2006).]

The forum is alive again..........

zuki

Last year when I got back from a vacation you were gone (including your posts..) now I am back from this years vacation and you're back, so it's over a year...Time flies

Welcome back Dave

Uncle Dave,

You are one of the main reasons I joined this forum some time ago. I have had so many things to learn from you and you really speak to my heart every single time you post.
May God bless you with a very strong health and please stay with us!!!
Great respect and best regards!

Wow.
It warms my heart to hear so many positive comments! Thanx so much for the welcome, and the support ...... I'll pop in a little more often. You all can help "teach me" so I can teach my students better !

I'm really excited ....... here's the place I'll be teaching:
www.newhopeacademy.com

(did I already post that address? Sorry if so ... )

Anywho - it's nice to be back!

Welcome back again Dave. Maybe we can rise above the ridiculous bs that is threatening to bring down our forum. Maybe it's a computer virus of some kind that has spread to some of our members.
Anyway, as hard as it is sometimes, I continue to bite my tongue and refuse to participate in the name-calling and keyboard bashing that has become rampant.
I will continue to help when I can and continue to learn what I can.
DonM

You're a wise man Don, and a good and true friend !

I LOVE this place for introducing me to you, and so many others ! I have really gotten so much more out of the Zone than I have put back, so I'm with you - let's keep it positive and pure.
This was once a really special, and unique place ..... I miss the kinder, softer posts of yesterday !

This place has been a God-Send for alot of people over the years. We've seen each other through personal trials, health issues, financial losses, musical roadblocks .... someone's always been here with an willing "ear" late at night .... after work, or when you just couldn't sleep.

This place gives us the power of thought !
It hones our communication skills, and broadens our global etiquette. It makes us aware of each other, and shows us how much we can learn if we just LISTEN!

That's really the greatest musical technique of all ........ LISTENING.
If we practice that, than our music will improve. What better way of enhancing your joy?
Use your ears, and lwe can earn from each other. That's MY plan !

At my new school - they discourage the phrase "homeWORK" ..... we say "home PRACTICE" instead. It puts a more positive and productive spin on the task. Makes it more personal and worthwhile. Maybe we can use that same thought process here! As musicians ...... it's the practice that makes the difference, so let's practice LISTENING to each other - it'll only make things better! After all ... music is a form of communication, right?

Now, Go Practice !

UD, are you still playing out?
Or are you only teaching these days?

Roy

We notice a change in the tone on the forum already Uncle Dave with your paticipation.

Cousin Ken

Uncle Dave makes a second coming!

There is a reason the good Lord gave us two ears and only ONE mouth !!!

If only your students realize the LIFE benefit they will get from having you as a teacher....

t.

UD
Glad to see ya back.

What a great topic you started Dave. It's clear from the replys that we all missed your comments and your presence around the Synthzone. Glad your back!

George Kaye
Kaye's Music Scene
Reseda, Califonrnia

Dave,

It is good to see you posting again. We missed you. It sounds like life is good for you again. Great! Our Uncle is BACK!

Tom

Dave,
From the looks of this forum I must say you have been missed. Lot’s of kind words written to you, it’s gotta feel good.

Dave, in everything we go through there is the blessing, and also “the pain”. The blessing is the fun part – the pain is also a type of blessing, it brings learning laced with humility, it helps you grow to the next higher step in your life. I can feel that difference in your post, welcome back.

John C.

John,
That's the understatement of the year!
This place can be very special if we all put special contributions into it. There is so much unrest and crap on TV and in the news ....... let's celebrate a true beauty - The joy of music - the UNIVERSAL language - the power that heals the soul.

It touches us all on some level ..... I want to share the feeling with as many people as I can. I sure hope I can get these kids excited this year.

There's a great line from the Broadway Play "Rent" ...... that says:

"The opposite of war isn't peace - IT'S CREATION ! "

So true. So true, and WE are the makers of the music. The creators of beauty. We have the power to change the world. REALLY, really change it.

I missed this place, and I'm glaf to be back! Thanx to all for the kind words.

Let's be good to one another.

Uncle Dave heard a lot of mention of your name in the past. Came to the forum shortly after you took a leave. Now I know why, Welcome Back, you are a power of example.

I often reflect on who is really in control of my life, or put differently, who is orchestrating my life.

I just found that happening on this forum. The forum has been getting a little difficult, then Dave posts with a special humble feeling –it is changing the mood here – who’s orchestrating here? Did Dave know? Was it his intent?

The type of posts responding to Dave make you start the day with a smile/lift. They coming at a good time. Less proving that we are right and more trying to understand the other guy’s view. Aaaaaaaah.

How does the lyric go; “All you need is love”.

Dave, you were hurt and here are your friends, it does not get much better.

John C.

Dave,

Sounds like you had an expensive education.

Good luck in your recovery.

All the best,

Ian



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Remember to leave good news alone.

Hi Dave,it's good that you are back.I don't post often,but I visit the zone a few times a day.A lot of very negative stuff as of late.Some entertaining stuff, in a Jerry Springer type of way,but negative just the same.I like the positive tone of your post and hope it will reflect on others. Terry

If you'll allow me to ramble on for just a bit, I'd like to share something that touched me years ago.

It was an episode of the (US) TV show "Growing Pains" that dealt with drunk driving ... specifically, underage drinking.
Carol and a friend go to a party that serves booze to minors, and then they crash the car on the way home. Carol is OK, but the driver ( who was drinking ) has a very close call, and is placed in ICU.
Well, the severity of the crash sort of clouds the actual drinking issue, because it seems that the poor boy has a "second chance". He's banged up ..... But after he heals - life goes on, right? Carol goes home to tell her parents that she really learned a good, solid lesson and that she and her friends will never drink and drive again. Then, the phone rings, and they inform the Seavers ( Carol’s parents ) that the driver has died from internal injuries.
Everyone is shocked. They just talked to the boy earlier. He was SUPPOSED to get better..... He was SUPPOSED to get his second chance. Well, he didn't.

It was a very touching episode….. much more serious than the show’s usual story lines.

The reason I share this story with you is because I now have that "second chance".
My wife (Donna) and I spent almost 18 years as polite strangers ... living as roommates, acting out a bizarre charade that was SUPPOSED to be "better for the kids". We really believed that too.
There was love, but there was distance. There was family all around, but Donna and I became strangers. We just watched as our marriage slowly, quietly slipped away from us. At the end, we were short tempered, quick tongued and very, very unhappy. The divorce was a relief for everyone. The kids felt better with the tension gone, and Donna and I began our journey of self enlightenment. We never lost sight of our common goal of raising the kids, and we didn't even hire a lawyer. We never even drew up a custody agreement. We figured that if we couldn't decide what was best for our own kids ... WHO else could? We HAD to communicate to do our job effectively.

I’ll try and make this story a little shorter, so - we'll jump to the present.
My mistake of rushing into a relationship with the "Miami Hurricane" ... had a huge price tag on it, but there IS a silver lining.

That's the point of this diatribe - there is ALWAYS another side to every story. There is always another way of doing something..... another viewpoint. My greatest blessing was having Donna as the mother of my children .... and that blessing has just been enriched with our reunion. I now get the chance to see her as a partner, a mate, a true friend.
My BEST friend. ( ……long time coming, but never too late ! )

Life's tough enough - let's focus on what's good about people. My dear, lovely, forgiving Donna is everything good I want to know in this life. From her warm, tender heart to her long, sexy legs ( down, boys ! ).... I just marvel when I think of the many ways this "second chance" is a true gift from God. She and I have MUCH work to do before all this child raising stuff is done, and the challenges are still coming at us, but I am certain that I can do everything I need to, as long as I have her in my corner. I feel safe when we’re together. Billy Joel says:
“I need you in my house, ‘cuz you’re my home”.
GREAT lyric.
Great viewpoint.
Great feeling !

This place … this forum, is another safe place that you can come to. You can share your thoughts ….. vent your frustrations …. Post your music …. Exchange ideas. The best thing about being a “Zoner” is the diversity we offer. Think of it – we span the ENTIRE globe ! We represent ALL AGES … ALL cultures … faiths, styles, levels of proficiency …… why, this place is as close to heaven on earth as you’ll ever find ! Here, we have the chance to share and thrive on each other’s experience! I am taking a warm feeling to bed with me tonight, and the glow is from a light created, NOT on my PC screen, but within the circuitry …. Traveling all around the world, sneaking in and out of millions of homes each night, bringing the Synth Zone family together. Tonight, I’ll take a piece of each of you to my silent world of dreams, where we can bask in the glow of each others spirit.
So, goodnight my friends ……… pleasant dreams and sleep tight, my friends ….. may tomorrow be sunny and bright ….. aw, you know the song.... finish it in your OWN voice !

“Goodnight, Johnboy”
(more American TV – sorry if it’s not world wide recognizable !)

Well, Dave, at least you learned your lesson(hopefully).

Some people never do...

Ian

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Remember to leave good news alone.

Dave,

Thanks for sharing your heart with us. I remember that story from a few years ago and I also remember the close call you had with your own daughters. It's amazing how much we share with each other. We all try to get along but there are some here that are hurting really bad inside and are rude, angry, bitter, and constantly attack other people here. Those folks need help and I thing it exceeds the abilities of this forum.

Dave ,
I have so much I want to add to what you have written but your post is beautiful as it is, it needs nothing.

I wish you and Donna the best of everything in your reunion. My wish for both of you would be contentment. From contentment joy and happiness follow and then you have peace.

With age comes wisdom, sounds like you are there Dave.

John C.

Wow! Now this is more like it. Dave, I'm really glad things worked out for you and Donna. Turns out many of us married the right woman in the first place. Sometimes it's hard to see that so I thank God for second chances also.

Contrats on your teaching job. I just signed on at the local community college. However, I'm not slowing down on my playing.

It's really nice to see a heartwarming topic on SZ instead of the usual keyboard bashing. Welcome back Dave!

Joe

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Songman55
Joe Ayala

Dave, I loved your post, you should be a writer.................

Thanks for sharing your personal experiences to the benefit of all of us.

Graham

I am getting a very serious "twitch" to actually ATTEMPT to write something serious. I started a few lines of a short story called " I don't play gig's " a long time ago .... maybe it's time to dust off those notes and see what turns up!

As always - thanx for the kindness. Donna gets off work early today, so .........



later !

UD, I agree with Graham, you are a real good writer, always has been. We had an early bashing on this forum, but I find a sense of humility in your posting this time, that I didn't see earlier. I truly respect that, and I understand where it comes from. Been through some times in my own life, and it makes you humble to the up sides of life. Not taken for granted for sure! Good luck!

That's progress !

I remember when you and I were at odds, and I'm glad to say - the hatchet is buried !

Life is short - why harbor discontent?
Thanx !
Feels good .......